1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved railing support post for use with a conveyor line and a railing for said conveyor line and a method of operation thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to a railing support post and a method of operation thereof where the post can be quickly and accurately adjusted between predetermined fixed positions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Railing support posts are known and have been used with conveyor lines in the bottling industry where bottles and other containers are filled with liquid using automatic filling machines. After filling, the bottles are capped and packed. The bottles, which are usually made of glass or plastic, are fed along one or more conveyor lines in these systems. Each conveyor line has a railing supported by a series of railing support posts and extending along each side of the conveyor line to prevent the bottles from tipping sideways as the bottles are moved along the conveyor line. When a bottle of a particular type or size or shape is being run on the system, the railings must be set a certain distance apart. For some types of bottles, the railings are actually set close enough to the bottles so that as the bottles move along the conveyor line, the sides of the bottles are in contact with the railings. For other types of bottles, the railings are spaced so that there is clearance between the railings and the sides of the bottles as the bottles move relative to the railings. Previous railing support posts are adjustable to move the railings on either side of the conveyor line either further apart or closer together and to hold the railings in a fixed position once the appropriate distance has been determined.
The distance that the railings are apart from one another must be changed each time a new run is commenced with a different size or shape of container or bottle. Previous railing support posts are adjustable to allow the railings to be moved either closer together or further apart and to be held in a fixed position. However, the adjustments are not readily repeatable and when the conveyor line must be changed to accommodate a new run, a considerable amount of time must be taken to adjust the railings properly. Depending on the length and complexity of the conveyor line, changeovers can take a number of hours. Sometimes when a new run is commenced, it is necessary to operate the conveyor line for some time to determine whether it is operating satisfactorily and it is sometimes necessary to make further adjustments resulting from the initial operation.
Many industries today have made a changeover to just-in-time deliveries so that manufacturers no longer store a large amount of inventory in warehouses. Instead, manufacturers strive to have zero inventory and can keep only a minimum volume of inventory by having the ability to produce the product quickly after it is ordered. When conveyor lines are used, the just-in-time delivery system results in many more runs being required with each of the runs having a relatively short duration. It is therefore very important to be able to change the conveyor system very quickly in order to accommodate the bottles or other containers of a new run.